West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-08-04


But L remark also that tho religious dis
course OF the future Of which speak win be
a popular discourse. There are those in these
times who speak of a popular sermon as
though there must be something wrong about
It. As these critics ara dull themseIyes the
world gets the impression that a sermon is
good IN proportion as it is stupid Christ
was the most popular preacher. the world
ever saw, and considering the small number
OF the worlds population, had the LARGEST
audience ever gathered. He never preached
anywhere without making a great sensation
People rushed out in the wilderness TO hear
INN, reckless OF their physical necessities So
kreat was their anxiety to hear Christ that,
taking no food with them, they would hnve
tainted and starved had not Christ performed
a miracle and fed them
Why did so many people take tho truth at
ChrlSt handS' Because they all understood
~. lie illustrated his subject by a hen and
her chickens, by bushel measure by "A hand
ful OF salt, 10y birds flight and by a lily's
aroma. All the people knew what He meant
ana they Hooked TO Him. And when the re-
nglous discourse Of the future appears, il will
not be Princetonian not Rochesterjan not
Ahdoverian, not Middletonian, but Olivetic-
pam, practical, unique, earnest-conpre-
henSiVe OF All the woes, wants. sins sorrows
anu necessities OF an auditory
But when that exhortation or discourse
doe0 come there will be n thousand cleaning
scimetars TO charge on IL. There are I'm so
many theological Summaries professors tell
not knowing how; and / am told that If a
young man in some OF our theological semi
naries says anything quaint or thrilling or
unique, faculty and students fly at him and
set him right and straighten him out, and
smooth him down, and chop him Off, until ne
says everything Just as everybody else saws IL.
Oh, when the future religious discourse of
the Christian church arrives, all the churches
OF Christ in our great cities will DO thronged
The world wants spiritual help All Who
have buried their dead want comfort All
know themselves TO be mortal and TO be inn
mortal and they want TO hear about the great
future. tell you, my friends, IL the people
OF our great cities who have had trouble only
thought they could get practical and SYM
pathetic help in the Christian church, there
would not be street in New York, or
Brooklyn, or Chicago, orCharleston, or Phil
hdeIphia, or Boston which would be passable
on the Sabbath day IL their we're a church on
1t; for oil the people would press to that
asylum of mercy, that great house of comfort
and consolation.
A mother with dead babe I'm her arms
came to the god Veda, and asked TO have her
child restored TO life. The god Veda said 20
her: "Hou go and get handful of mustard
from a house in which there has been no
sorrow, and in which there has been no
death, and will restore your child TO lifen
80 the mother went out and she went from
house to house, and from home to home, look
ing for place where there had been no
sorrow and where there had been no death
but she found none. She went back to
the god Veda and said: "My mission Is n
failures; you see 1 haven't brought the
mustard seed; can't find place where
there has been no sorrow and no death.
oh, says the god Veda, understand your
sorrows are no worse than the sorrows of
others; we all have our griefs, and all have
our heaTt-breaksn
Laugh and the world laughs with you,
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow It's mlrth,
But has trouble enough OF its own.
We hear great deal of discussion now all
over the land about why people do not 90 To
church. Some say IL is because Christianity
IS dying out, and because people do not be-
love IN the truth of Gods word, and all that.
Ihey are false reasons. The reason is because
our sermons and eXhortations are not inter.
esting, and practical and helpful Some one
might as well tell the whole truth on this sub
Ject and so will tell it. The religious dis
course of the future, the Gospel sermon TO
come forth and shake the nations and lift
people out of darkness, will be a popular SER
mon, just for the simple reason that it will
meet the woes and the wants and the ankle
ties of the people.
There are i'm all our denominations ecclesi-
astical mummies sitting around TO frown
upon the fresh young pulpits of America, TO
try toawe them down, to cry out: Tut tutl
tut! Sensationalp They stand to-day preach
ing in churches that hold thousand DeonIe
and there are hundred persons present and
II they cannot have the world saved in their
way it seems as if they do not want it saved
at all.
do not know but the old wav of making
ministers of the Gospel is betterEa collegiats
education and an apprenticeship under the
care and home attention of some earnest,
aged Christian minister, the young man
getting the patrarch's spirit and assisting
him IN his religious service. Young LAWYERS
study with Old lawyers, young physicians
with old physicians, and / believe IL wonld be
a great help If every young man studying
for the Gospel ministry could put HIMSELF i'm
md uurVr a
under the benedction and perpetual presence
of n Christian minister
But ] remark again, the religious discourse
OF the future viii be an awakening sermon
From alter rail TO the front door step under
that sermon an audience will get ND and start
for heaven. There will be in it many n STAG
cato passage. Ii will not be a lullaby. IL
will be a battle charge Men will droD their
sins, for they will feel the bot breath of pur-
suing retrbution on the back of their necks
IL viii DO sympathetic with all the physical
distresses as well as the spiritual distresses OF
the world. Christ not only preached but He
healed paralysis and He healed epilepsy, and
lie healed the dumb and the blind and ten
lepers
That religious discourse Of the future will
DE an everyday sermon, going right down
into every mans life, and il will teach him
how TO vote, how 20 bargain how to plough
how TO do any work he is called to, how to
WELD trowel and pen and pencil and yard.
stick and plane. And II will teach women
now 70 preside over their households, and
how 70 educate their children, and how to
initiate Miriam and Esther and Vashti and
Eunice, the mother Of Timothy, and Mary.
the mother Of Christ: and those women who
on Northern and Southern battlehelds, were
mistaken by the wounded for angels Of mercy
fresh from the throne Of God
Yes, have 30 tell you the RELIGIOUS dis
course Of the future will be a reported SER
mon IL you have an idea that printing was
invented simply 70 print secular books and
stenography and photography we're con
triyed merely 20 set forth secular ideas Won
are mistaken. The printing press is to be the
great agency OF Gospel proclamation. It Is
nlBh time that good men instead Of denounc-
ing the press, employ 10 TO scatter forth the
| Gospel Of Jesus Christ The vast majority
l OF people in our cities DO not come 10 church
| and nothing but the printed sermon can
reach them and call them 10 pardon md
life, and peace and heaven.
80 i cannot understand the nervousness OF
some ot my brethren n the ministry When
they see "a newspaper man coming in they
say; "Alas. there Is reporter" Every
added reporter IS ten thousand. fifty thou
/ sand5 @ hundred thousand immortal souls
added ~ the auditory. The time will come
Wnen am the village town and city newspapers
VIII reproduce the Gospel Of Jesus Christ and
| sermons preached on the Sabbath will revcr-
berate all around the world, and some bv
typo ana some by voice, all nations will be-
evangelical
The practical bearing Of this is upon fhoeo
VINO are engaged Boz Christian work not only
| upon theological students and voung rninie
tors, but upon AN who breach Tho C.,.-,.I ,,,1